The EU Council will be able to negotiate with the European Parliament on the European Commission’s October 2021 proposal to set tighter concentration limit values for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in waste in order to protect the environment and human health from these highly toxic and persistent chemical substances.
On Friday 11 March, the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) approved the negotiating mandate for this legislation, which will amend Annexes IV and V of Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on POPs.
For polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), for example, the concentration limit value for the sum of these substances in waste would be 500 mg/kg, according to the draft compromise detailed in this paper (see EUROPE 12902/25).
A last-minute compromise proposal, agreed by the EU27 on Friday, also outlines a limit value of 10 mg/kg for dioxins and furans (compared to the current 15 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg in the Commission’s proposal).
Furthermore, with regard to the concentration limit values for household ash and soot, the Council recommends that the new limit values should only apply from 1 January 2025 - the date set by the Waste Framework Directive for the separate collection of hazardous waste - which will give more time to Member States wishing to have more data to comply with this requirement. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)